Sometimes it's hard to stand out from the crowd and to differentiate yourself from everyone else. In everyday life, this task is far less difficult to accomplish than it is within the mini-truckin' scene. If you want to be different when you go to the mall, you can just dye your hair blue. Trying to be different by building a mini that's more than 10-years old requires you to bring a bag full of ideas, a ton of tools, and friends. Building a mini that looks different and still makes everyone that matters (other mini-truckers) want to look at it takes a keen sense of style and a great sense of how to apply it to the mass of steel, plastic, rubber, and glass. No aspect of your project will go unnoticed, so you have to be on top of your game when it comes time to modifying your ride. Those who build the kind of minis that appear on the pages of this magazine must possess a great deal of knowledge concerning fabrication, suspension systems, body mods, painting, and upholstery. Even though the owner of each truck isn't always responsible for the actual work done, it's usually their design or vision that comes to fruition at the hands of someone else. The talent to envision something great and different cannot be denied or discounted because it's tough enough to think of original ideas, let alone execute them.

Relaxed Atmosphere member Andrew Post is a mini-truckin' pioneer with original ideas he knows how to execute. His truck lays flat because he and his father 'bagged the suspension and made it so. The body of Andrew's Mazdawg looks great because he and Alex Pickett performed the body mods and had Denny Phillips spray the graphics. The interior is a tasteful nod to the techniques our street rodding forefathers developed, which Andrew designed and Southern Upholstery brought to life in sculptured tweed and medium-density fiberboard. From the engine compartment to the completely revamped sheetmetal bed floor, Andrew and his friends have designed and built a truck to respect and envy, a truck that exudes style from all angles, and that deserves to be right here. Check it out.

The LowdownChassis/Suspension Andrew and his father began the suspension mods by installing a pair of AIM Industries 2-inch drop spindles and Air Ride Technologies airbags up front. Once the 'bags were in place and the air lines were run to the solenoids and reserve air tank, Nitro-Drop shocks were relocated to the outside of the control arms, and a skidplate was installed to protect the front suspension during high-speed draggin' maneuvers. The stock leaf spring rear suspension was scrapped in favor of a four-link setup with Firestone airbags for adjustability. Once again, Nitro-Drop shocks were installed to smooth out the ride. The framerails also received a healthy step-notch to provide clearance for the rearend whenever the truck was laid out.

Body Mods Who needs fresh air when the windows are rolled up? Not Andrew. He and Alex Pickett shaved the cowl of all its unsightly holes, then shaved the door handles, taillights, and bodyline. Then they got really jiggy and built the insane bed floor out of sheetmetal.

Engine/Drivetrain Notice that Andrew's mini has five-lug wheels that tuck cleanly? Well, Mosser of Illinios did the five-lug conversion. The stock six-lug Mazda front hubs, rotors, rear axles, and brake drums were redrilled with a popular five on a 4.5-inch pattern, and the old six-lug holes were plug welded. The engine compartment is immaculate with perfect paint and polished items. Andrew and his father handmade many of the aluminum brackets, and the suspension is painted with two-stage paint. The four-banger motor has been outfitted with a Webber carburetor and a Flowmaster exhaust system.

Interior Southern Upholstery of Meridian, Mississippi, stitched a pair of Mazda 626 bucket seats in tan tweed and continued onto the rest of the interior. New door panels were constructed to house the component speakers and were covered in tweed as well. A custom center console was then built, and billet armrests were added to the new door panels. A Billet Specialties steering wheel tops off the list of interior mods.

Audio A Sony CD head unit takes care of signal generation that is fed to a Clarion equalizer. After the signal is processed to Andrew's liking, it's fed to a pair of US Amps amplifiers. The amp's power kicker component speakers are mounted in the doors, and the subwoofers reside in the extended cab of the truck.

Owner's Quote "I would like to thank my dad for all his help, my wife Shawna, and my daughter for their patience. Also David Kinard, Alex Pickett, Eli and Justin Griffen, and Jeremy West for their help, House of Kolor and Billet Specialties for making great products, and Denny Phillips for a kick-ass paintjob!"

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By Lance Martz

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